Three ways prescription drugs can lead to charges

On behalf of Jack P. Sherman, Attorney at Law on Wednesday, June 20, 2018.

Prescription medications are all around you. Doctors give out thousands of prescriptions each day, supplying people with the medications they need to fight infection, pain and other problems.

The problem with prescriptions is that some medications are addictive. When these addictive medications run out, and a patient can't get more, there is a risk that they could turn to alternatives like street drugs to get the relief they seek.

Whether you're taking prescription medications or no longer have a prescription to fill, you may have questions about how the drug laws affect prescription drugs. Below are a few things to consider.

A prescription doesn't give you a right to sell or give away your medications

Even if another person has a prescription for the same medication, you still can't sell or give your pills to them. On every prescription, there is a listed quantity. Using more than the recommended dose could lead to addiction or severe side effects.

Falsifying prescriptions

Falsifying a prescription is a serious offense. Medical providers go through years of schooling for the right to prescribe medications to their patients. Controlled substances only available by prescription are scheduled because of the possibility of interaction or abuse. Forging prescriptions is a felony.

Prescriptions can be a gateway to addiction

The trouble with giving away or selling your pills is that your medications could become a precursor to addiction. By taking more of them than necessary or by selling them to someone who doesn't have enough, you may be fueling the drug crisis in America. This is not something on which the Tennessee courts look kindly.

What should you do if you're accused of prescription drug crimes?

As with any accusations against you, it's in your best interest to protect yourself as quickly and efficiently as possible. In many cases, you can resolve the charges by proving that you do have a prescription for a medication you have in your possession. For example, if you're carrying Vicodin out of the prescription vial, you could be accused of having it illegally. However, it's usually easy to show your prescription to the police or court to resolve any concerns brought up about the drugs in your possession.

Every case is different, but one thing remains true. Prescription drugs have the potential to be illegal in certain circumstances, so you need to be cautious about how you use them.

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